What's new for 2008?

First and foremost, congratulations to the show's management and participants; the stands are well set up and well presented. It's easy to walk around and admire all the motorcycles, scooters and ATVs that grace the show floor.


A new trend is beginning
As I walked around the show Friday morning, I noticed a lot of new 125cc to 150cc scooters. In most European countries, one can ride a scooter up to 125cc without a license, which allows for a reasonable progression. Over here, only the Quebec and Alberta provinces allow driving a scooter under 50cc without a driving course, if you're at least 14 years old.

The multiplication of 125cc and 150cc scooters would allow kids to climb up to a category that's still affordable and easy to drive; citygoers could go shopping and use service roads without fearing that they'll slow down traffic. Two types of these scooters exist: those who maintain the use of 10- or 12-inch wheels and those who feature bigger wheels, inspired from old mopeds that are very popular in Asia. The first type includes Keeway's Arn as well as PGO's superb Metro 125 with its styling that recalls yesteryear's Vespa and Lambretta products. By the way, Vespa keeps on going with the introduction of its more upscale S model. Chiconex, a new brand in the scooter category, is offering the big Legend 150. The second type includes the Kymco People S 125 with its big 16-inch wheels, and CMI's Freepass 150 which offers a higher level of comfort and better manoeuvrability.

The 50cc class is getting bigger
Still very popular, this class welcomes a bunch of new models: Keeway F-Act and Hurricane, both imported by E-Ton, the SYM Mio 50, the CMI Striker 50 and PGO's Metro line-up. However, a nice surprise is found at the show: the Vivacity3, a scooter from Peugeot. It's CMI that chose and negotiated the import of this French scooter. And word has it that it won't be the only Peugeot product to find its way onto Canadian shores. There might even be motorcycles; we'll keep you posted.